Tilden Regional Park

Tilden Regional Park (IPA2|tɨldæn) (also known simply as "Tilden") is a regional park in the East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is situated between the Berkeley Hills and San Pablo Ridge.

Tilden Regional Park was named in honor of Charles Lee Tilden, a Bay Area attorney and businessman who purchased much of the land in order to preserve remaining wilderness areas for public enjoyment. Tilden also served on the first Board of Directors of the East Bay Regional Park District.

The park is managed by the East Bay Regional Park District, created from the first land the district purchased in 1936. It is largely located within unincorporated areas of Contra Costa County. The whole of its length borders on the city of Berkeley, defining the eastern limit of the city. Although not particularly large (about 5 x 1 km, or 3 x 3/4 miles), it is a very important and accessible recreation area for Berkeley and the other municipalities of the East Bay. An AC Transit bus from the Berkeley BART station runs into the park on weekends. Its steep valleys and dense stands of timber offer a rare wilderness experience so close to the city. Its high ridges and peaks give wide views over the San Francisco Bay and inland across other preserved land to Mount Diablo.

The park contains numerous trails, providing facilities for hiking, horseback riding and bicycling. In addition to major areas of wilderness, the park includes attractions such as a model farm, an environmental educational building, a golf course, miniature steam trains and the Regional Parks Botanic Garden. Another noteworthy attraction is the old-fashioned Tilden Park Merry-Go-Round. It is a true antique and one of the few left in the US.

base which was decommissioned in the 1970s. Today there are few signs of the missile silos and military housing that used to populate these hills.

Much of Tilden Regional Park is situated in the upper stretches of Wildcat Canyon which is also the location of Lake Anza. Lake Anza is about 40 meters long, and the water is somewhat clear. The lake is a good place to go swimming as well as other activities. Jewel Lake, smaller than Anza, is accessible only by trail.

runs just inside the park.

Parts of the park land had been cleared for agricultural use. In many places, exotic trees such as Eucalyptus), have been planted. There are also some relatively recently planted stands of Giant Sequoia. However, current conservation efforts are aimed at restoring native vegetation so far as possible, and significant parts of the park are covered in native coastal scrub.

During the 1930s, a WPA camp was situated in Tilden Park.

Notes

External links

* [http://www.ebparks.org/parks/tilden Tilden Park info page at East Bay Regional Parks site]
* [http://mondomap.com/mondo/map_ocvb.cfm?bid=14&vid=14602 Tilden Park map] Oakland Convention and Visitors Bureau